Starting Over
by Melody Malone
Summary: Thunderbirds Crossover. Tintin is adopted, and forced to become Gabriella Montez. When she gets to Albuquerque, will she trust people enough to know the real her, and will anybody believe her parents car crash wasn't an accident? Eventual Troyella.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I have plans for this, but they're rough, and I just wanted to get the prologue out to see what people thought. If you have any ideas, feel free to let me know.**

She sat in her room, glaring at the ajar door, hearing the people behind it discussing her future. She had been in the orphanage for six months, and she was sick of the people coming by her room every few days, trying to make small talk, then leaving again. When potential adoptive parents came by, the way she was told to act was like a dog in an animal shelter. To be on her best behaviour, so that someone would want to adopt her. But nobody wanted to adopt a 15-year-old-girl, not when they could have a baby or a younger child. And the few who did show an interest ran a mile as soon as they heard about her supposed mental problems. She couldn't help but laugh at that line in her case file. She had given up trying to explain the truth to people, because they just didn't listen to her. But she didn't care, she didn't want to be adopted anyway. She was expected to treat these strangers as her parents, when they would never replace them. The last woman who had come to see her was still talking to her case worker outside her bedroom door.

"She seems a very sad girl." Said the voice of the woman who she'd met less than five minutes ago.  
"You'd be surprised. She can be very fiery and independent. She's adamant she doesn't want to be adopted, but of course, she can't stay here until she ages out. If you want her, it could be a lot of work."  
"I don't mind the hard work, I just feel very sorry for her. Can you tell me anything about her case?"  
"Well she's been here for about six months now. Her parents were killed in a car crash, her father lost control of the wheel, you see. She has no other living relatives on file, so she was brought to us. She has had some….problems."  
"Problems? Like what?"  
"She has illusions of grandeur, and she's very paranoid about the circumstances of her parent's death…She's convinced herself she's part of a world which exists inside a television show…Have you heard of Thunderbirds?"  
"Yes. She thinks she's in it?"  
"She thinks it's real. She also thinks she can do things that she can't. We've helped her the best we can, but I think once she is in a stable home, she'll start to calm down. I'm sorry if this is all too much to take in."  
"No no, it's fine. I would like to think I can really help her. She's the child I want."  
"Really? That's great! Thank you, Miss Montez. If you'd like to follow me, and we'll draw up the paperwork."

Inside her room, Tintin glared at the door of her room, and concentrated with all her might, until it slammed all by itself. Her dad had lost control of the car, she knew that. She was in the back, she couldn't have avoided knowing that. But it wasn't his fault he had lost control. It was no accident. The searing pain in her head, and his screaming to leave him alone just before the car had crashed told her it wasn't.  
"Sweetie?" She looked up as her case worker came into the room. "This is Miss Montez…she's going to take you home."  
"This is my home." She said, dryly.  
"Not anymore, honey." Miss Montez walked into the room. "We're gonna get all your things together, and you're gonna come home and live with me."  
"No you're not my family! I want Fermat! I want Alan! I want my mom and dad…" She sobbed into her pillow as her case worker and Miss Montez gave each other a look, and continued packing up the few personal possessions she had with her.

A year later, Tintin lay on her back on her new bed, resting a pencil on her stomach, then making it float up and down in front of her. She and Miss Montez had moved four times in the last year because of her job and were now in Albuquerque, New Mexico, following stays in California, Utah, and New York. With each new place they went, Tintin felt a little more of herself slipping away. Miss Montez had even encouraged her to get her name changed so she could put the past behind her. Shaking her head, she touched the gold chain that lay against her neck, running her finger over the 'G' that hung from it. She moved her hand further down, and stroked the crystal that hung around her neck- the only link she had to her old self. Because she wasn't Tintin anymore, at least not by law. Now she was Gabriella Montez.

And she hated it.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: I'm pleased so many of you liked the prologue :) And thanks to Musicfreak9864 and laalaa1123 for their help in working out what to do - you rule! x**

**Chapter One**

Tintin's eyes fluttered open as she heard her alarm clock ringing. She had been awake for hours, as she wasn't able to sleep. She never was able for the first few days after a move, because she would sit up and try and remember as much as she could about her past, for fear of waking up one day and forgetting it altogether.  
"Gabriella wake up, or you'll be late for school!" Miss Montez called from outside her room. Tintin sighed at the name. She had gone along with it when it had been suggested as she just wanted to please Miss Montez, and she figured it was only a name.  
"I'm awake." She called back, getting out of bed and getting washed and dressed in her ajoining bathroom. Finally she pulled her necklaces out from under her shirt, and looked at herself in the mirror. Not living on the island, her skin wasn't as tanned as it used to be. Her hair had also grown fuller, and she'd let it get longer.  
"Gabriella!"  
"Coming!" Shouted Tintin back again, storming downstairs and sitting at the breakfast table where there was cereal and juice set out for her. She settled down and started to eat quickly, wanting to get the day over with. She always hated the first day at a new school.  
"You look lovely." Said Miss Montez, sitting opposite her. She smiled shyly.  
"Thanks Miss Montez." She replied, getting up to put her bowl in the sink.  
"...You know." Began Miss Montez. "You've been here for a year now Gabi, and...I really...see you as a daughter. So you know...if you feel like it then, obviously I don't mind if you don't want to call me Miss Montez anymore. You're free to call me mom..." Tintin glared forward, her back to Miss Montez. Grabbing the crystal around her neck, she channelled her anger into it. _'Drop it'_ she thought, hard. She was interrupted from her thoughts when sparks came from the microwave, giving her a jump. "Gabriella, what was that??"  
"...Nothing." Muttered Tintin, angry at herself for missing her target.  
"So, as I was saying--"  
"No." Said Tintin, interrupting her. "I don't want a new mom, and I'm not Gabriella."  
"...No-one is saying that by changing your name or letting me in, you have to forget your parents."  
"...Forget it." Tintin sighed, going out to Miss Montez's car.

As she walked around the school following the principle, Tintin looked at it, and had the same thought she had whenever she went to a new school. _'How hard would it be to blow the whole place up Carrie style?'_ of course she'd never do it, she wouldn't want to hurt anyone up. But one thing that hadn't changed was that she was a creative thinker. She knew that if she could make a disaster bad enough, it would get the attention of the thunderbirds, and they could come and deal with it, and she could go home.  
"Gabriella, come here." Said the principle. She went over to where he was motioning to a door. "This is your first class, don't worry it only just started. Here's your timetable, too."  
"Thank you, sir." She said, nodding polietely, entering the classroom. The chattering stopped as soon as the door opened, and everyones heads turned to face her. _'Predictable'_ she thought, as she went to the front of the class, to speak to the teacher.  
"I'm new." She explained. "Um...Gab...Gabriella Montez, I transferred from New York?"  
"Ah yes!" Said the teacher, suddenly remembering. "Class, this is our new student." The teacher went on to talk about how important it was for all the students to help her to settle in. She smiled at everyone, then took a single seat at the back of the room. "Okay now Gabriella, you've actually come on a very important day, as I'm going to hand out your new assignments. You may find it harder than most, but it'll be a good way to get to know everyone. What you will be doing is--Troy Bolton, late again I see!" Everyone turned to face the back of the class again, as a boy rushed in.  
"Sorry miss, it's just coach--"  
"The rest of the basketball team managed to get here on time, so I expect you to as well!" She lectured. "And since you so kindly interrupted my lesson, you can be the first person to be assigned to your partner for this project. Please go and sit with Gabriella Montez. And don't complain about not being with one of your friends, the purpose of this assignment is to work with people outside your circle of friends. You'll be surprised what you'll find out." The teacher pointed over to her, and Tintin smiled at him awkwardly. She wasn't one to make friends easily. He looked at her, let out a grunt, and sat down next to her. She bit her lip, supressing a laugh at his Alan-like way. This was going to be fun...

Soon, everyone was paired up with someone they hadn't worked with before, and the assignment was handed out to each pair.  
"Ugh...this looks like it's gonna take a lot of work." Muttered Troy, passing her the sheet. She looked at it, and instantly took a dislike to it. For once, Tintin really did want to blow up the school.

_Welcome back to East High, and welcome new faces!_

_For your first assignment in this, your personal and social development class, you will be paired with someone you do not know, and will have to produce a report about them. There are several tasks you must write about;_

_1) You must prepare and carry out a survey on your partner.  
__2) You must spend one full day with your partner, and write about what you learn.  
__3) You must spend one meal with your partner and their family to learn what they are like outside of school.  
__4) You must work with your partner, and produce their family tree._

_At the end of the project, you will be required to submit a written report, as well as a verbal speech about your partner._

_Good luck!_

"...So. What's your name?" Asked Troy, looking at the girl. "I don't recognise you."  
"...Gabriella." She said, after hesitation. "I just transferred. Which you'd know if you'd been here on time." She bit her cheek, smiling. Troy laughed awkardly.  
"Yeah well...Was busy." He said. "Let's see your schedule." She handed it over. "Hmm, very heavy. You must have some brains in that head of yours"  
"More common sense than anything else." She shrugged, which wasn't wrong. Most of the things Tintin knew came from experience, and watching people work on Tracy Island. And of course, it helped having a friend like Fermat around.  
"Well, we have a couple of classes together. Including gym."  
"Cool." She said. There was silence, as Troy didn't know what to say, and she just didn't want to say anything in case she let something slip that she'd regret.  
"Okay so, how are we going to do this?" Said Troy, bored after a while.  
"Simple." She replied. "I'll write about me, you write about you. We'll prepare eachother's work and speeches, then swap."  
"...Yeah fine. Whatever." Said Troy, bored.  
"Good." She said, as the bell rang for next period. "I have a free period now, I think. I guess I'll see you...whenever." She stood up, and Troy saw the crystal hanging around her neck.  
"...Cool necklace." He said. She looked down at it for a second, and brushed it with her finger.  
"Thanks." She said, brightly, rushing out of the classroom. Troy shrugged, smiling at the thought of her, and went onto her next class.

Tintin rushed around to the side of the school where there was a tree sitting on a patch of grass. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she looked down at the necklace, thinking back to a conversation she had with her grandmother once when she about 10, and being homeschooled with Alan and Fermat, before Alan went away to school.  
_"Grandma." She pouted, going into the kitchen where her grandmother was helping her mother prepare lunch. "Why can't I be a grown up like you and mom?" Her grandmother laughed, and knelt down to her height.  
__"Why would you want to grow up, Tintin?"  
__"I don't like homework. The boys pick on me when I get it wrong." She continued pouting. "I don't wanna do it. So I wanna be a grown up."  
__"Everyone has to do things they don't like, Tintin. Even grown-ups."  
__"But can't you do my work for me! I can't do it!"  
__"You'll never learn if you don't do it yourself. Why have give someone else the enjoyment of learning something new when they already know it?" Tintin sighed, and nodded.  
__"You're right, grandma."  
__"Good girl." She had smiled. "You're going to be someone special, Tintin. I can tell." _

Tintin wiped the tears out of her eye, and sniffed, standing up. She had to find this Troy - she was pretty sure that was his name - and tell him they had to do the project properly.

From his jail cell, The Hood opened his eyes, and laughed.  
"That's it Tintin...No shortcuts dear. Of course, I'm not one to stick to the rules."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks to johntracytb5's Geocities page for some of the information. It has been a lifesaver! haha. Also, I don't think this story will be updated now until the end of August, as I'm going away to work at a summer camp. But I PROMISE I will continue then!**

**Chapter Two**

Troy was coming out of his lesson, when he felt a girl knock into him.  
"Woah, slow down!" He laughed, holding the girls arms. "Oh...hi." He said, seeing it was Gabriella, the girl he met in his first lesson.  
"Hey yourself." She said, awkardly. "Look, I don't wanna get into trouble okay so...let's just do this project the way we're supposed to."  
"Oh um...sure. I guess." Troy shrugged. "Hey, we have gym together now...you wanna walk with me? Don't worry, it's your first day so you don't have to do anything." The girl shrugged, and followed Troy. Tintin looked over at him, and couldn't help but blush. His mannerisms, his build, his behaviour all reminded her of Alan. She thought about him every minute of every day, and she was starting to feel guilty for looking at Troy, and falling for his dreamy eyes and perfect body. She shook her head. She promised herself she wouldn't get close to anyone. Getting close would mean having to tell people the truth, and if the truth about who she was got out to the wrong people in the school, everyone would think she was insane, and she'd be a social outcast until Miss Montez was reassigned to another state.

Tintin sat on the bleachers with her head in her hands, watching the people from her class completing an obstacle course that was set out to test their skills. As she didn't yet have a gym kit, she was forced to sit the lesson out, much to the delight of some of the bitchier girls in the class.  
"Look at her, she's all skin and bones! Like she'd ever be able to do any of this!" Giggled one of the girls. Tintin rolled her eyes, and cast her eyes once again over the obstacle course. She could do it with her hands tied behind her back, and she knew it. She was an expert tree climber, was extremely agile, and knew that she would show up the whole class if she was able to take part.  
"Okay guys, that's enough!" Called the gym teacher, blowing a whistle. Everyone climbed down from their apparatus, and stopped. "You all did great, guys, go get changed." Everyone headed towards the locker rooms, and Tintin was on her way out of the class when one of the girls she had heard bitching about her before tapped her on the shoulder.  
"So, new kid. You wanna show us what you're made of?" She laughed.  
"I don't want to." She shrugged, about to walk off. The girl grabbed her arm, and Tintin's eyes narrowed. "Get off of me."  
"Oh come on...Gabriella, is it?" She shrugged, clearly not caring about whatever her name was. "You're just chicken. That's why you won't do it." Tintin's eyes narrowed, and she resisted the urge to touch the crystal hanging around her neck. The tomboy inside her grinned.  
"You want a bet?" She said, raising her eyebrow. She headed to the obstacle course, and started swiftly climbing up and over various pieces of equipment, and jumped elegantly from the trampoline to grab onto the rope further up. Scrambling up the rope faster than anyone she had seen in the class do, she looked down triumphantly at the girls, some of whom were glaring, others who were in complete shock. Tintin smirked as she climbed down, and strolled over to the girls. "Well?"  
"Ugh...freak!" The ringleader laughed. Her friends joined in, and they all walked off. Tintin sighed, and was about to leave, before someone else stopped her.  
"Just leave me alone!" She snapped.  
"Sorry, I just wanted to talk about our project..." Tintin looked up, and saw Troy standing there.  
"Oh...Well...sorry..." She said, awkwardly. "...What about it?"  
"Well, I thought we could go to the library...work on it, maybe get started on the family tree?" Tintin shut her eyes. The one thing she was dreading, and he wanted to start it already.  
"Yeah...I guess." She sighed, hugging herself. "Lets go." Troy nodded, and walked ahead, showing her the way.  
"I um...saw you doing that obstacle course." He said, nervously. "You were...really good."  
"I've had a lot of practise." She said, mysteriously. Troy looked at her confused.  
"Elaborate?" He asked. She shrugged.  
"Maybe I'll tell you one day." She grinned cheekily. Troy rolled his eyes. _'Girls...' _he thought to himself, before laughing and continuing onto the library.

Alarm bells rung throughout A-Wing in Wandsworth prison. This could mean only one thing. One of the lifers in the prison had broke out.  
"Find him!" Shouted the prison officer to several guards. They nodded scared, and ran in the opposite direction. The prison officer sighed angrily, running back to the escaped prisoners cell. There was no clues as to how he had escaped, and if any of the other prisoners on the wing had seen him leave, they weren't saying anything. "How am I gonna explain this to the govenor..." He muttered under his breath."  
"Shut up." Came a cold voice from behind him. The officer froze up, and seemed to not be able to move. He tried to make himself speak, but everytime he opened his mouth, no words came out. "Good lad. Now, I think you want to give me the keys." The officer laughed in his head. Like this guy thought he was just going to hand over the keys. Which was why he was so shocked when he felt his hand going into his pocket, and reaching down for his keys to the gate. Panicking, he tried to wrench his hand away from his pocket using his other hand, but it only made the hand in the pocket more determined to hand over the keys. In several seconds, the officer dropped the keys into the man's hand.  
"Y-you...What--" The officer managed to stutter out. The Hood looked the man in the eyes, and shook his head.  
"No time like the present to practise my newly taught skill." He shrugged, laughing. Locking eyes with the officer again, he said clearly. "Drop dead." As The Hood walked away, locking the doors behind him, the prison officer lay on the floor of the police wing, clutching onto his throat, desperate to breathe, until he didn't have the strength to fight anymore, and lay still and silent.

She didn't like libraries. She didn't take information in very well when she just sat and read facts, she had to see how they worked in practise to be able to completely understand them.  
"Okay so...Where do we start?" Asked Troy.  
"With ourselves, I guess...You start." She shrugged. Troy grinned, and nodded.  
"I don't know very far back, but I'll try." He nodded to himself. "Okay, so as you know, I'm Troy." He watched as the girl sitting opposite him wrote all this down. "My dad's the coach for the basketball team here, he's called Jack Bolton. My mom, Lucille, is a receptionist for some corporate office. I don't really know my grandparents on my mom's side as they died before I was born, but my grandma was called Edith and my grandpa was called Michael. My dad was their only child, and I don't have brothers or sisters. And so...that's my family." He laughed, bowing a little afterwards. Gabriella giggled, and silently applauded him. "Okay, your turn."  
"...I don't know." She muttered, suddenly clamming up.  
"Come on, I did it. You know your parents at least." He laughed. She sighed, and nodded.  
"Well...my names...Gabriella...Montez." Troy noticed she hesitated before saying that, but guessed she was still a bit nervous as it was still her first day, and she'd had a lot to take in.  
"Good start." Laughed Troy. She smiled weakly.  
"...My mom...was a cook. Onaha." She said, slowly. Troy was sure he heard her say 'was', but knew it must've been a mistake, as he was sure he heard people saying that her mom brought her to the school that morning. "My dad was a horticulturalist...Kyrano. So...smart...and...my mom...so...so sweet." She thought back to a time when Alan had told her that he loved her mom so much, that he saw her as a surrogate mother, after his had died.  
"Weird names. Were they like...hippies or something?" Troy laughed, interrupting her train of thought. She pretended she didn't hear that, and carried on.  
"My grandma was always just...grandma. She died...soon after..." She trailed off, biting her lip and cursing herself for saying anything in the first place. She had died soon after they had got to Tracy Island. She had barely escaped with her and her parents, and everyone knew she was too weak to last long.  
"Soon after what? What happened?" Troy pushed, but she didn't answer. Tintin felt tears building in her eyes, and she slammed her eyes shut. When she did, she started shaking. The face of her uncle appeared in her head.  
"Hello, dear Tintin. Won't it be nice to have a little family reunion soon?" Beads of sweat appeared on Tintin's head as she grew more and more scared.  
"Get out..." She muttered, clenching her fists.  
"Gabriella??" She heard Troy, faintly. She looked like she was having some kind of a fit, and saw some people looking over at her strangely. Troy tried to tap her to get her to open her eyes and follow him out of the library, but she wasn't answering.  
"Oh no, I'm not going anywhere. I'm all you have left now, girl...Your precious Alan can't save you now."  
"No!" She shouted, gripping onto her crystal, and trying to force him away. "Keep away from me!"  
"GABRIELLA!" Troy shouted again as she slumped forward onto the table, passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I'm seriously having the biggest amount of trouble with this story, and absense from it has made me forget everything I planned for it too, which really isn't good, lol. Seriously, even watching the movie hasn't been any help :(**

**Chapter Three**

The images that flashed through Tintin's mind while she was unconcious terrified her. Alarm bells rang, a body lay on the floor, and all the while she could hear The Hood's evil laughter, and heavy footsteps. He didn't talk to her directly anymore. He didn't need to. Tintin already knew that he was out, and on his way to Albequerque.  
"Gabriella...Gabriella..." She heard echoing in the distance, and slowly the laughter and the images disintegrated from her mind, and she became more aware of her surroundings. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked around her. She was lying in a hospital bed, propped up by a few pillows. A nurse was standing around taking her pulse, and Troy sat in a seat next to the bed, looking at her worried.  
"...Hey." She whispered, turning on her side to face him once the nurse had finished. "How did I, what..."  
"You had some kind of a fit at school. I don't really know what it was. You started screaming and you were shaking and then you just...passed out."  
"Well, you know what it's like. Just the...excitement of the first day built up." She said, shrugging, hoping that he would buy her excuse.  
"...You sure?" He asked, and Tintin sighed. "It's just that you were screaming 'Get out', and 'no'. Care to explain?"  
"...Just a daymare." She said, her voice shaking. She still couldn't get the images out of her head. "Where's..." She paused. She knew that if she asked for Miss Montez, Troy would be confused why she was saying that instead of mom, but she also refused to refer to her as her mom.  
"Your mom?" Offered Troy. "She's on her way here from work, she sounded really worried about you."  
"I'm sure.." She muttered. "...Thanks for bringing me in. Really. I appreciate it."  
"Hey, you would've done the same for me, I'm sure." He said, smiling brightly. "Well, I should probably be getting home, but I'll see you tomorrow? We can do some more work on the project."  
"Yeah, if you want." She shrugged. Right now, the project was the last thing on her mind.  
"And if you want, we could have that meal at your house? With you and your mom? That's, if you feel up to it, of course."  
"Yeah sure, I'll see you then." She smiled, waving him away, hoping that by the next day he'd forget that arrangement. It was one thing to pretend to be Gabriella at school, it was a completely different thing to cope with having to keep up the act at home. Once he was gone, Tintin drew her knees up close to her chest. That was no dream. She heard her uncle's voice as clear as if he were standing there next to her.

"Oh Gabriella, what was it this time." Miss Montez sighed, coming into the hospital room. She was wearing a business suit, and carrying what looked like a heavy briefcase. She look flustered, and Tintin figured she'd just come from a meeting.  
"Sorry, I'll try and faint at a time that's convenient to you next time." She muttered, sarcastically. "I could've got home on my own, you know."  
"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so snappish at you. It's just you were so set against moving to New Mexico I thought you might...try something."  
"Well I didn't. I just fainted. Stress." She said, knowing Miss Montez wouldn't listen to the real reason. She'd encourage her to see a psychiatrist again, just like she had when she first moved in with her, and she told Miss Montez all about her family, and the Thunderbirds. "Let's just get home. Please?" Miss Montez sighed and nodded, and after signing all the necessary papers, they left and went home.

As much as Troy hated his class, he knew he had no choice but to pass it. His parents had already been on at him that if he didn't get a C average in all of his classes, there was no way they were going to let him play basketball in the next school year, and that would mess with his chances of getting a scholarship. Unfortunately, personal and social development class was one he often either skipped in favour of playing basketball with Chad, slept through, or just didn't do the homework for. But he was worried about this assignment. Gabriella seemed to have trouble opening up, and didn't want to talk about herself. _'As beautiful as she is, if you want something done, you've gotta do it yourself'_ Troy told himself as he sat at his computer, and typed Gabriella's name into google, hoping to find even something to do with her. Just as he was clicking the search button, his cell phone rang. He answered it quickly, in case his mom heard him answering it while doing his homework, and took it away from him.  
"Hello?"  
"Troy, my man!" Troy laughed at the sound of Chad's voice on the end of the line.  
"Dude! How did you get such an easy partner for this development class project! You're dating Martha's best friend, you don't even need to talk to her to get the inside story!"  
"I know, right? It's awesome knowing I've finally got an easy class." Said Chad. "Speaking of which, what's the 411 on this girl? Heard she's a bit crazy. She was screaming in the library or something.  
"Honestly? I don't know. She was fine and then she started shaking. Was weird. But she seemed okay after I left the hospital. Just looking her up on the internet, trying to get a head start on the project.  
"Going to the hospital with her? Reading up on her? Dude, your girlfriend would kill you if she heard you talking right now."  
"Yeah well that's why Sharpay's at her singing lesson right now, and I'm stuck at home doing homework." He said, glancing up at the now loaded page. "Weird..."  
"What?" Asked Chad, confused.  
"I just typed Gabriella's name into a search engine and...it's only come up with results in the past year or so. And she doesn't have a facebook or a myspace! What kid our age doesn't have one or the other!"  
"Weird girls who scream and faint in libraries?" Suggested Chad. "Whatever. If you really want some info on her I can ask Taylor to do some digging for you? But not right now, we're going out soon. You gonna come and hang out with us tonight?"  
"Sure, I'll be with you once Shars got out of her lesson." Said Troy, still looking at the page confused. "See you then, Chad."

Meanwhile not too far away, Tintin was also working hard on the internet, but for a completely different reason. She had had enough of people not believing her about her family, and about people not listening to the truth, so she was going to find the only person she could talk to, and the only person who would be likely to help her find the Thunderbirds again.  
"Come on Lady Penelope, you must have contact details somewhere..." She muttered, biting her lip. Concentrating so hard was giving her a headache and making her feel tired, but she was too scared to sleep, after what she saw when she was unconcious. Clicking through links, she eventually found a website seeming to be dedicated to the "hardworking billionaire" as it stated. Amongst listing her favourite foods, colours, and most admired British female of the 20th century, Tintin found what she was looking for;

_"And so the most amazing thing happened to me today! There I was just checking my inbox for the umpteenth time that day, when I came across an email from a certain Lady Penelope! She wrote and thanked me for the kind emails I sent, and that she was most impressed by the page dedicated to her. I didn't want to post the address until I had clearance from her to do so, but she said it would be nice for her fans to send her some mail, so here it is. Lady Penelope's email address!"_

Tintin quickly clicked on the link and began typing the email.  
"Gabriella, what are you doing?" Asked Miss Montez, coming over to the computer. Panicking, Tintin minimized the screen, and pulled up google.  
"Nothing. Just some homework."  
"Well leave that for tonight. You just fainted! I'd rather you didn't go to school tomorrow, let alone worry about getting homework in on time."  
"But Miss Montez--"  
"No Gabriella, I won't hear of it! Finish what you're doing, and I want you to go to bed." Tintin sighed defeated, as Miss Montez walked away from the computer. Opening up the email again, she finished the email;

_Dear Lady Penelope,  
__You have no idea how much I need to speak to you! Things are going really, really bad for me. I think my uncle is out of jail, and after me. Please let me know if you hear of anyone breaking out of prisons! You might not be able to find me easily, as I have to go by the name of Gabriella Montez these days, but you have to help me. No-one believes me about the Thunderbirds, and you really are the last person I can talk to about this. Please. I miss you so much.  
__Lots of love,  
__Tintin Belagant_

Rushing up to her room, Tintin slipped between the covers, and tried to think positively. Lady Penelope would read her email, and immediately come to her rescue. And even if she didn't, she understood her ability a lot more than she did when she was fourteen, and she was a much stronger person since losing her parents, and knowing she was alone in the world. So as long as she had her necklace, The Hood couldn't hurt her. Tintin put a shakey hand up to her neck to touch her crystal, and froze.

There was nothing around her neck. The crystal was missing.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: It's back! This chapter was kind of on the backburner for a while, until I read On the Run, by Musicfreak9864, which is amazing! So glad that my inspiring someone has meant that I was inspired in turn lol. So go read it! This chapter is the longest so far, and one of the longest I've ever wrote for anything I think!**

**Chapter Four**

As soon as Troy was done with his research, which hadn't got him anywhere, he grabbed his car keys and jumped into the car. He was due to meet Chad and Taylor at the park now, and he had to swing by and pick up Sharpay first. As Troy drove up to the Evans' mansion, he looked out the window to find Sharpay sitting on a wall outside the house, glaring daggers at him. Automatically, he knew he had done something wrong, and was sure Sharpay was going to make sure he knew about it. Parking the car, he got out and kissed her cheek.  
"Hey Shar." he said, awkwardly, before opening the passenger door to let her get in. She flashed him an annoyed look.  
"Hmph." Was all she responded, stepping into the car and folding her arms across her chest. When Sharpay couldn't see him do it, Troy rolled his eyes. He hated it when she was mad at him, and wouldn't tell him why. As he started the engine and the car started moving, Sharpay spoke.  
"You were late."  
"What? Sharpay, I was late by like, five minutes, I had homework to do, you know my parents will kill me if I don't get a C average this year."  
"Still, you were late. And I had to wait for you." She said, simply as they drove to the park. Troy let out a heavy sigh. Locking the car door as they reached the park, Troy put his keys in his pocket when his finger came into contact with a hard point. Feeling around in his pocket, he realised it was attached to a longer string, and remembered what it was. When Gabriella had started screaming in the library, she had been holding onto her necklace, and then when she had fainted, she must've pulled it hard, because Troy found it on the floor. He had put it in his pocket to give to her at the hospital, but he had forgotten all about it until now. He shrugged to himself, deciding to give it to her tomorrow. Smiling at his friends, they headed off.

Meanwhile at home, Tintin was frantic. Ignoring Miss Montez's constant reminders for her to go to bed, she dialled the number of the hospital, hoping her necklace had been handed in to lost and found.  
"Hello?" Came the voice of a bored receptionist.  
"Hello this is T—Gabriella Montez. I was brought in earlier? I was just wondering if a necklace had been found? It...it's a crystal, and it's really important that I find it."  
"Doubt it, honey." said the receptionist, yawning. "Stuff rarely gets turned in. Normally if anythings found on the floor it just gets thrown in the trash. Sorry."  
"But it's important!" She cried, tears coming to her eyes. "If you could just check—"  
"Thank you for calling." said the receptionist, and before Tintin could ask another question, they had hung up. In a last desperate attempt, she rushed to the jeans she had been wearing that day, and started searching the pockets.  
"Gabriella! You fainted only a few hours ago, you need your rest, mija!" said Miss Montez, pulling the jeans away from her.  
"You don't understand!" She cried. "I can't find my necklace, I have to find it!"  
"I know you've had it since you were little but...it's not here. And if you just called the hospital and they don't know where it is, there's not anything else we can do..."  
"I'm in serious danger unless I find this! He's going to kill me!"  
"Oh, Gabriella..." sighed Miss Montez. "I thought we had been through all this with your therapist..."  
"I'm not crazy." She argued. "My uncle is out of prison, and he's going to kill me. I need my necklace or I can't protect myself, and I can't get hold of Alan or Lady Penelope, or--"  
"Gabriella, stop it!" Snapped Miss Montez. "I'm getting sick and tired of this attention seeking behaviour, I really don't know what to do about you anymore!"  
"My name is _Tintin!_" She shouted, upset. "You don't know anything! He killed my parents, he _told_ my dad to crash the car! And now he's out of prison he's going to kill me!"  
"...I'll arrange an appointment." Said Miss Montez, as calmly as possible. Gabriella hadn't had a relapse like this since she had first moved in with her, and she figured it was just her way of venting. Tintin didn't hate Miss Montez, not really. She just hated the fact that she wouldn't listen to her, or believe her. She needed to have someone on her side who would believe her. She slammed her eyes shut, trying to sleep, and trying to convince herself Lady Penelope would respond to her email.

They had been sitting in the park, talking and listening to music for a few hours now, and not the sun was setting, Chad sat up.  
"Alright, I've gotta get home before my mom grounds me for life." He said, kissing Taylor. "You two gotta head back anytime soon?"  
"I guess I probably should." Sighed Troy, unwrapping his arm from where it was draped around Sharpay's waist. "Want me to drop you home, Shar?"  
"Of course." She grinned, kissing him. Troy laughed, and pulled his car keys out of his pocket.  
"Well I'll see you guys la--" He heard Sharpay let out a gasp.  
"OH my god, that's beautiful! Troy I can't believe you'd get something like that for me!" He looked down and inwardly cursed, as he saw that caught on his keys, was Gabriella's necklace.  
"Um well that's um, kinda..." Troy stumbled over his words. He couldn't tell Sharpay that it was another girl's, without her getting the wrong idea, and she couldn't explain about it being Gabriella's without Sharpay being suspicious and jealous.  
"Oh thank you Troy!" Sharpay interrupted his train of thought, kissing him and pulling at the necklace, tying it around her neck. "Oh I love it!"  
" Yeah um...no problem..." Muttered Troy, leading her to the car. Looking at the necklace hanging around Sharpay's neck, he shook his head. _'Maybe Gabriella won't notice it's missing?'_

After Tintin's outburst the night before, Miss Montez didn't question whether or not she should go to school, and just let her. However, Tintin couldn't focus. She had nightmares that night about her uncle. Not ones that he caused, but just thinking about him terrified her. She hadn't had anything from him lately, but she knew that wasn't a good thing. She knew he was plotting something. Going to her locker silently, she pulled out a few books, and saw the pink locker next to hers open.  
"Oh, hello. I don't think we've met." Said Tintin, politely. "I'm Gabriella."  
"Sharpay Evans." Said a bored voice, slamming the locker, and staring at Gabriella. "Was there something you wanted?"  
"Oh, no. I just wanted t..." Tintin's eyes travelled down to Sharpay's neck. "Hey! That's my necklace!"  
"Excuse me?!" Snapped Sharpay, rudely. "I don't think so, my boyfriend gave me this last night."  
"It is mine! Give it back!" Glared Tintin. "My parents gave that to me when I was a baby, I know it's mine."  
"Well, sorry, but it's not." Sharpay replied, going to walk away. Angry and upset, Tintin blocked her exit.  
"Give me my necklace back." She said sternly, staring Sharpay in the eyes, and hoping that she would be able to will her into giving it over. However, Sharpay just laughed in her face.  
"No I don't think so." Said Sharpay, just as sternly. Tintin's eyes burnt angrily, and she was about to launch herself at Sharpay, when a pair of hands grasped her around the waist.  
"Gabriella, calm down!" Said Troy, letting go of her when he saw how angry Sharpay looked.  
"How could you!" Shouted Tintin, motioning to Sharpay's neck. Troy gulped. Gabriella had noticed the necklace missing after all.  
"Troy tell her this _isn't_ her necklace! You got it for me!" Whined Sharpay, from behind him. Troy looked between the pouting face of Sharpay, and the angry one of Gabriella, and sighed.  
"Um...Shar...It is, sorry. I was kinda just...holding onto it for her." He said, awkwardly.  
"Why! I'm your girlfriend, not her!"  
"Ugh, girlfriend? No thanks." Said Gabriella, holding her hand out at Sharpay. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah, necklace." Sharpay glared at her, and took it off,throwing it in Gabriella's direction.  
"DON'T talk to me, Bolton." Said Sharpay, slapping his arm as she walked away. Troy was left facing an angry Gabriella.  
"I'm sorry!" He stuttered. "I tried to stop her, really I did!"  
"Didn't try hard enough." She pointed out. "Why did you have it anyway!"  
"You broke it off in the library! You were holding onto it like your life depended on it!" Gabriella looked away awkwardly. "So you're not even going to thank me?"  
"I'm going to thank you by letting you pass our project. Come over for dinner tonight." She said calmly, tying the necklace back around her own neck.  
"...Sure." He shrugged.  
"Good." She smiled calmly, walking in the opposite direction towards her chemistry class. Troy looked at her walk away, exasperated. Never had he met a girl before that was so hard to figure out.

Troy followed Gabriella home, silently. Apparently she had called ahead and said that he was coming for dinner, and although Gabriella said it was fine, Troy still felt a little awkward having a meal with a girl he couldn't work out, and her mom who he didn't even know.  
"This is the place, unless I've taken a wrong turn, which could probably happen as all these houses look the same." Shrugged Gabriella, pushing the front door open. She called through "I'm home!"  
"Oh Gabriella, hi." Smiled Gabriella's mom. "Oh, and you must be Troy I'm guessing? The boy Gabriella's doing her project with?"  
"Yeah, hi Mrs Montez."  
"It's Miss. Come, sit down, I've already got everything cooked." Troy nodded, and followed Gabriella into the kitchen. The meal was somewhat awkward. Gabriella barely spoke, and often glared at her mother when she spoke to her.  
"Oh, Gabriella, that...thing we were talking about last night, I've sorted that out for this weekend."  
"Great, thanks for bringing that up now, Miss Montez." Said Gabriella, through clenched teeth. Troy looked confused.  
"Gabriella, let's not...argue we have a guest." Said Miss Montez, calmly. "Troy, would you like more potatoes?"  
"Um no, I'm...fine." He said, awkwardly, sensing the tension in the room.  
"I don't care if we have a guest. Stop treating me like a child. My parents never treated me like I was stupid." Said Gabriella, angrily. There was a slight bang, and Troy jumped as a spark flew from the toaster behind him.  
"Oh...bad electrics in this house." Said Miss Montez, laughing awkwardly. Troy saw that Gabriella was smiling slightly. "Troy, I think it's best if we cut this short, it's been lovely meeting you, though."  
"You too, Miss Montez." He smiled.  
"Gabriella, show him to the door please?" She asked, and Gabriella rolled her eyes, taking him to the door. When they were on the doorstep, Troy started to talk.

"So she isn't your--"  
"No she's not my mom. My parents are dead. You satisfied?" She said, upset.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean--"  
"...Just don't tell anyone. Please." She said, softly, looking up at him with sad eyes. Troy shook his head.  
"I wouldn't do that. I'm not a jerk, believe it or not. And I am really sorry about the necklace."  
"Well...it's here now." She said, looking down at it. A playful smile touched her lips, and she looked up at him. "Kiss me."  
"What?!" Said Troy, stunned and confused.  
"Go on." She giggled, touching her necklace. "Kiss me." Troy could've sworn he saw her eyes slit a little, but he couldn't tell, as the next thing he remembered was his lips against hers, and they were kissing.

Tintin pulled away, satisfied. She had never used her power to get someone to do what she wanted before, but it was fun to play games with Troy, much in the same way she played games with Alan when they were growing up.  
"What just--"  
"Let's not talk about it. I'll see you tomorrow!" She announced, skipping back inside the house and closing the door. As Troy walked away, Sharpay glared at the closed door from across the street. First she took her necklace, and now she was kissing her boyfriend. There was no way Sharpay was going to let Gabriella Montez get away with that. Pulling out her pink cell phone, she dialled a number.  
"Taylor? It's Sharpay. Listen, I need you to do me a favor..."

Meanwhile on Tracy Island, the current leader of the Thunderbirds, Alan Tracy was informed he had a video call.  
"Patch it through." He said, pressing some buttons on the board in front of him. Suddenly on the big screen popped up Lady Penelope. "Ah, haven't spoke to you in a while. How are the nails?" He teased, grinning slightly.  
"No time for niceties like that Alan, I'm afraid." Said Lady Penelope, leaning towards the screen. "I have very bad news. There was a break out in Wandsworth prison a few days ago. One of their high security prisoners has escaped."  
"Well that's fine, tell me their approximate current location and we'll--"  
"No Alan, you don't understand. The Hood is the prisoner that escaped. And none of my sources can tell where he has gone, or where he's headed. But you know there's only one place he's going to try and reach." Realization hit Alan, and he slammed his eyes shut.  
"Tintin. We have to find her."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I've been getting a lot of reviews in for this story in the past few months, so I decided to give updating it a go. PLEASE review and let me know what you think, and also tell me where you would like the story to go, as I only have notes I made a few years ago, and they aren't enough! Oh, and "lala28", go for making your own! I can't wait to read it, you'll have to give me the link :)**

**Chapter Five**

Troy's head was in a daze as he sat down in homeroom the next day. He still couldn't work out how or why he had kissed Gabriella the night before. Sure he thought she was pretty, and she was smart, and witty, and cute but… he shook his head to himself. No, he had a girlfriend, and he'd have to remind Gabriella of that when she came into class. He was working on his report on the night before when a voice made him jump.  
"Hey there," he glanced up, and saw Gabriella standing there, smiling down at him. "So, have fun last night?"  
"Um, listen, Gabriella.""Look, I know, you have a girlfriend, it's cool, as dull and boring as she is." Gabriella rolled her eyes, smiling cheekily at him. "So, when do I get to meet your family? That's what I have to do now, since you met my…well…'mom'." She made air quotes as she spoke, then folded her arms waiting for an answer. He sat wide-eyed, noticing how fast she'd spoken, and hating partly that she put his head in such a spin.  
"Um. I'll… ask my parents tonight? That good? And then maybe you can come by tomorrow night?"  
"Great! I'll see you in class!" She giggled, taking a seat at the front of the class.

As soon as Tintin took her seat, her face fell, and she rubbed her eyes sleepily. More sleep, more nightmares, more seeing her uncle's face in her mind, hearing his laughing. He'd killed another person overnight. She didn't know who they were, or where they were, she just knew he had, and that he was getting ever closer to her location. She blinked a few times in a daze as she felt someone kick her leg hard.  
"Oops! Sorry new girl, I didn't see you there," giggled Sharpay, rolling her eyes at her, and moving to take her seat next to Troy, scooting it closer to him so she could lean in for a make-out session. Tintin rolled her eyes again, and resisted the urge to break the light above her head, knocking her unconscious.  
"So Troy, I missed you last night, how was dinner with the girl from Dullsville?" Asked Sharpay, leaning into him to plant another kiss on his cheek.  
"It was…fun, I guess. I mean, it's all for the project…I'm kind of hoping to get a B at least on this, but a C will do."  
"Yeah…great. Anyway anything…especially fun happen?"  
"Not really…the toaster blew up, if you count that as exciting?"  
"Nothing else?"  
"Nope, nothing." Troy lied, and unfortunately for him, Sharpay knew it too. She sent a backwards look to Taylor, and moved away from Troy. "What did I do?"  
"Nothing, I just…You know I love you, right?"  
"I know. And I love you too, Sharpay." Troy replied, quickly sitting up as their homeroom teacher walked in to begin the morning announcements. Once they were finished and heading to their first class, Sharpay grabbed Taylor's arm.  
"Not a thing."  
"He didn't deny it?"  
"He didn't even admit it! I swear, she is so dead. Tail her. Hack into her emails, hell hack into the school system! I want to know everything you can find out about her."  
"It won't be easy—" Began Taylor, but Sharpay stared at her, subtly handing over her credit card.  
"Anything you need at your disposal." She said to her, calmly. "I wanna find out who the hell this Gabriella Montez girl is, and mess with her so much that she never wants to go anywhere near my boyfriend again."

Tintin started to get a headache around third period, and she knew he was causing it. Getting into her head, trying to mess her up, and she was fighting him off the best she could with her new found strength, but it was clear that just as much as she had been developing her power, he had been developing his. Not wanting to be surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria, she headed to the computer labs. She needed to check her emails anyway. Lady Penelope had to have seen her email by now, and have emailed her a plan, or given her instructions to follow. The Thunderbirds must've known by now that The Hood had escaped, it would've been their job to track him down and recapture him. Excitedly logging onto the computer, and to her home email address, she bit her lip as her new emails were loaded onto her screen. Her mouth hung open as she saw an email beginning "RE: Lady Penelope" and clicked on it, holding her breath as it loaded. Though quickly, her face fell, and her heart sunk, as the email explained it was returned to sender, and that the address she had sent it to, didn't exist. She stared at the screen in disbelief. No-one had got her email, no-one was coming to save her, and no-one would be able to stop him getting into her mind, and doing whatever it was he planned on doing with her.  
"Are you okay?" Asked a voice next to her, and she looked over to see a girl sitting there next to her. "You look…shook up, I guess is the only word I can think of."  
"Sorry. I guess, I kind of am. But it's nothing, really. Just…sent an email to someone and they didn't get it. No biggie." Said Tintin, quickly switching off the monitor. "I'm Gabriella. I think I've seen you in class?" The girl nodded.  
"I'm Taylor McKessie, I'm friends with Troy? You're working on a project with him aren't you?" She nodded, and Taylor smiled. "Good luck, I swear, that boy was not born with brains big enough for anything except basketball."  
"Some boys you think are stupid, and selfish, but they turn into good men." Shrugged Tintin, thinking again of Alan, and how stubborn he always was, and how he always seemed to think there was an 'I' in 'team', and that by the time of her parent's accident, he was a team player, and a valued one at that. Her cell phone rang, her mom telling her she'd managed to get her a last minute appointment with a therapist, but she had to meet her outside the school straight away. "I have to go. I hate my life sometimes. But it was nice talking to you."  
"You too." Smiled Taylor, watching as she went. Glancing at the computer next to her, Taylor realized that Gabriella had forgot to shut down her computer properly, and at the press of a button, whatever Gabriella had on screen would be visible. Innocently, she leant over and switched on the screen, scanning her eyes over the email.  
"Lady Penelope… Thunderbirds… Tintin Belagant. Bingo." Taylor muttered to herself, finally having something to work with. Switching off Gabriella's computer so that no-one could see what was on it, she slid back to her own seat, and opened her internet browser.

"You _kissed_ her?! Dude, Sharpay is going to have your dangly bits on a cheese grater." Laughed Chad, throwing a ball at Troy.  
"Don't even joke about something like that, Chad, I don't doubt that for a second." Troy replied, trying to bounce the ball past him, aiming it at the net. "I don't even know what came over me, it was crazy. One second she was asking me to kiss her, and the next thing I knew…I was actually doing it."  
"You're just too whipped by girls, that's all. Think about it, Sharpay asks you to do something, you go ahead and do it. Gabriella asked you to do something, and you did it. It's all in the mind, Troy, you just need to find some control."  
"Since when did you turn into Dr. Phil?" Asked Troy, raising an eyebrow at his friend.  
"My mom watches all that crap when I get home from school, don't judge."  
"Sure, sure..." Joked Troy. "You watch Oprah too?"  
"Hey, you want me to arrange your funeral when Sharpay kills you?" Chad said, smirking, and Troy shook his head at him, aiming the ball into the basket, and narrowly missing again. This girl was messing with his head in the worst possible way. Not even Sharpay whining at him usually threw him off of his game.

Tintin hated doctors' offices, and sat in her plastic chair, silently. Miss Montez sat on the chair next to her, insisting on coming with her to make sure she showed up, but promising not to come into the session itself. Just the way it had been since she started seeing a therapist a year ago. They were always unproductive, as by the third one she had been sent to, she'd learnt to only give them the answers they wanted. When her name was called, she walked into the room, and slid into the reclining chair that was placed for her.  
"Hello Gabriella-"  
"My birth names Tintin. I'd rather you called me that. Miss Montez calls me Gabriella, but that isn't my name."  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Tintin. But didn't you have a legal name change?"  
"I know I did. But that was to keep her happy. Tintin's my name." She said brightly, smiling slightly. "So what do you want to know?"  
"Your mom…Miss Montez, I'm sorry…said you've been having trouble sleeping?"  
"Everyone has nightmares."  
"Oh? What happens in these nightmares?" Inwardly, Tintin smiled at herself. Trick question number one.  
"Just typical teen problems. You know, showing up to school in only your underwear, getting a detention, not anything to worry about."  
"Are you sure? You were in a traumatic accident, weren't you? Would you like to talk about that?"  
"I can't remember it. Because of the shock and stuff. I just remember waking up in hospital." Trick question number two averted.  
"And…any other family members that you know of?"  
"My uncles in prison. I've never met him, though." She lied for the third time, and pulled a satisfied smirk as the therapist leaned in towards her.  
"You know Tintin, you can tell me anything, it's not going to go any further than us."  
"Except into my file with child services, along with all the other therapist's reports telling everyone I'm crazy, right?" Tintin leant back in her chair, her headache still there, but less serious. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Her finger brushed against her necklace. "So…you're gonna tell Miss Montez that I'm fine, aren't you?"  
"I really don't—Ow!" The therapist jumped a little in his seat, clutching his head.  
"What's wrong?" Asked Tintin, casually.  
"Just a migraine, look we should probably call this session off. It was a good introduction, and I think we'll make good progress."  
"Thank you! I'll be leaving now." Tintin smiled brightly again, and walked towards the door. As soon as her hand made contact with the handle, she heard cackling in her head.  
"_Tintin! Good to see you've finally found the benefits of your power. You and I would make a formidable team once I reach you. Maybe I'll keep you around after all._"  
"I won't help you…" She murmured under her breath, clutching at her own head. She took a deep breath and slammed her eyes tightly shut, sending a burst of pain to him through her mind. Everything went silent and she took a deep breath, exhausted. She glanced back at the therapist who was scribbling down notes and she sighed, knowing her plan to act normal for the therapist had backfired, and walked out of the room, and back into the main office. Miss Montez stood up.  
"That was quick—"  
"I wanna go home. Can you just take me, please? I'm tired." She said, leaning into Miss Montez slightly for support. Assuming it was the session that had taken its toll on her, Miss Montez nodded, and led her out to the car.

As they pulled up outside their house, Tintin spotted Troy sitting on the front step, waiting for her. She really didn't feel like speaking to him right now, so tried to follow her Miss Montez in through the door.  
"Gabriella, don't be rude. Give Troy a couple of minutes." She assured her, before shutting the door behind her. Tintin sighed, and turned to face him.  
"What do you want?"  
"Well, we should work on this project—"  
"No. Troy, I am exhausted, and I can't even tell you _why_ I'm exhausted, which is messed up in itself. I just want to sleep, can't we talk about it tomorr—"  
"I think I'm falling for you." He interrupted quickly, and she blinked at him a few times.  
"Huh?"  
"I think…you're an amazing girl, and there's just something about you I just…I can't focus on anything when I'm around you, or thinking about you. And I know that's messed up, and I have a girlfriend, but I just…I'm falling for you."  
"…Oh." She replied, a little stunned. "Troy, you're…a really great guy."  
"Thanks." He laughed, but she held up a finger to silence him.  
"But I'm very complicated. You can't even begin to know just how complicated I am. So trust me when I say that as much as you're falling for me, and I'm…kind of sort of falling for you, we're not good for each other. We're from two completely different worlds…"  
"I don't understand."  
"Just…" Tintin sighed, and leaned in and pecked a kiss on Troy's forehead. "I'll see you at school, okay Troy?" He blinked confused as she brushed herself down, and walked into the house again.

"Approximate location on The Hood?" Asked Alan, walking into the room where Fermat was tapping away furiously at his computer, with charts, maps, and beeping machines surrounding him.  
"No sign yet, Alan." He sighed, taking off his glasses to wipe them a second. "He got his ankle bracelet off somewhere in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and there haven't been any confirmed sightings of him yet. A couple of rumors from sources in New York that he was spotted travelling West, but they couldn't be sure it was him." Alan cursed under his breath, and walked over to a map.  
"What would be West?"  
"Pretty much anywhere in the United States. He could be an hour away, he could be several days away by foot."  
"And any information on Tintin's whereabouts?"  
"The government isn't being the most lenient with giving me access to their records, but I'm trying every access code I can." Fermat looked up at the expression on Alan's face. "Al, we'll find her, okay? We'll bring her home safe and sound."  
"…Good work, Fermat. Report to me if you find out anything." Said Alan, nodding once, before leaving the room. Putting his head in his hands, all he could think about was how scared he was for Tintin.


End file.
